


but they just can't prove it

by allisonattheorpheum



Series: the evermore collection [2]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, No Plot/Plotless, apparently i like the idea of these characters dancing, blink and you miss it beginnings of juke, boy bands and true crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28637793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allisonattheorpheum/pseuds/allisonattheorpheum
Summary: julie rolled her eyes. “can i finish the story or not?” luke and reggie nodded vigorously, clearly fans of the subject. julie would have to remember to show them how to turn on the true crime channel. alex didn’t seem as enthusiastic (he actually looked pretty pale, julie noticed), but didn’t object.“okay, so like i said, the lady’s best friend went missing, and everyone knew the husband had done something to her,” she continued.(or julie fills the boys in on some things they missed since they were alive)
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters
Series: the evermore collection [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2097033
Comments: 8
Kudos: 60





	but they just can't prove it

**Author's Note:**

> title and inspiration from "no body, no crime (feat. haim)" by taylor swift.  
> part of my _evermore_ collection.
> 
> i do not own "bye bye bye" by iconic boy band *nsync but i wish i did.

“there’s no way, jules,” luke said, shaking his head. “you’re making this up.”

julie sighed from her place on the couch. she had been telling the guys stories for hours, trying to catch them up on what they had missed during their time in the dark room. president clinton being impeached? yeah, fine, made sense. iconic boy band *nsync? alex was already begging julie to teach him the choreography. a lady who lived down the street from the very studio they were sitting in murdering a man? they had wanted to know every single detail.

“guys, i’m serious,” julie said. “i’m telling you the same thing i was told. my mom wouldn’t have lied to me about something like this.”

reggie raised his hand. “miss molina?” he asked. luke reached up and slapped his hand out of the air, causing reggie to wince. “luke needs detention.”

julie rolled her eyes. “can i finish the story or not?” luke and reggie nodded vigorously, clearly fans of the subject. julie would have to remember to show them how to turn on the true crime channel. alex didn’t seem as enthusiastic (he actually looked pretty pale, julie noticed), but didn’t object. 

“okay, so like i said, the lady’s best friend went missing, and everyone knew the husband had done something to her,” she continued. 

“because he was cheating, right?” luke asked. he was leaning forward, elbows on knees. “what an idiot. the girl always knows.”

alex turned towards luke, his face confused. “you have personal experience with that or something?” he asked. at the same time, reggie said, “dude, did you even ever have a girlfriend?”

luke stammered, turned his head away from everyone’s gaze. “i’ve seen movies, okay?” 

julie laughed and clapped her hands like a teacher trying to gather a group of kindergarteners. “luke’s right,” she said. “he was cheating and his wife found out and disappeared.”

“okay, i know where this is going,” alex said. “the best friend knew the husband did it so she decided to kill the husband.

julie nodded, decided to fully embrace the ‘miss molina’ persona reggie had latched onto. “correct, mister mercer,” she said. “my mom didn’t tell me any details or anything, though.”

“aw, man!” reggie exclaimed. “luke, how’d she do it?”

“well, she probably couldn’t overpower him or anything. poison, maybe?” 

alex was clearly disturbed by that turn in the conversation and tried to change the subject. “so, this ‘bye bye bye’ song… ” he was cut off by a hand over his mouth. 

“bro, not now,” luke said. “your mom didn’t tell you _anything_?”

julie shuffled through the memories in her mind, focused on the one of rose telling her this story when she was ten, flynn by her side and terrified. even in a memory, her mom’s voice brought a chill to her spine. “there was something about a boat,” she said.

“sweet!” luke exclaimed. “she poisoned him and took his body out to the ocean!”

reggie nodded along, a supporter of luke’s hypothesis. “makes sense,” he said. “she’d have to weigh him down though, for sure, and probably needed some help.”

“okay, let’s not dwell on the details,” julie said, trying to steer the focus away from the more gruesome points for alex’s sake. “pop quiz time.”

reggie and luke groaned, the former burying his head in his hands. “you’re taking this too far now, julie,” luke said. “a quiz? ghosts don’t take quizzes.”

alex laughed, mimed sharpening a pencil, “hey,” he said. “blame reggie. he’s the one who started the teacher thing. i’m ready for my quiz.”

“way to go, reg,” luke mumbled.

julie cleared her throat, tried to act stern (this meant ignoring how cute luke looked when he was fake-mad). “okay, reggie,” she said. “did she get away with it and, if so, who took the blame?”

reggie titled his head in thought and got distracted by a ladybug flying around the studio. luke elbowed him in the ribs and said, “dude, focus.”

“my answer is… ” reggie thought for a few more seconds. “yes, she got away with it and they think it was the new girlfriend.”

luke snorted. “dude, are you crazy? she definitely did not get away with it.” he smiled towards julie with as much charm as he could muster. “you can give me my a+ now, jules.”

julie blushed and shook her head so her hair covered most of her face. that was obviously flirting, right? she’d have to text flynn later and ask. “there’s still one more student,” she said. “alex? what do you think?”

“i think i’d rather be learning dance moves and looking up instinct on the goggle or whatever,” he said. “but, yeah, she got away with it. they probably arrested some random relative or burglar or something.”

“first of all, it’s _*nsync_ and _google_.” julie laughed and tucked her hair back behind her ears. “and, no, you’re wrong.”

luke puffed his chest out and grinned, but before he could say anything, julie kept going. “and, luke, you’re wrong, too.”

he visibly deflated. “there’s no way! whatever. we all must be wrong, then.”

“actually… ” julie started. she mimed a trumpet announcing royalty. “reggie is right. or at least that’s how the story goes.”

luke and alex yelled in disbelief, while reggie stood up and bowed. “that may be the only pop quiz i ever passed,” he said. he pointed towards luke, then alex. “you guys really gotta stop underestimating me.”

*

later, after julie had eaten and spent time with carlos, she headed back out to the studio. luke was still on the couch and his face was still frozen in a pout. “gather around, sore losers,” she said. “and you, reggie. it’s time for physical education.”

luke groaned. “you have _got_ to be kidding me.” alex and reggie, though, instantly headed towards the empty space in the middle of the studio. 

“come on, luke,” alex said. “you never know when the band will have its dance phase.”

the three ghosts lined up in front of julie and she led them through some stretches, even though they probably didn’t have to worry about their muscles getting overworked. after her body was thoroughly warmed up, she pressed play on her phone, the opening bars of ‘bye bye bye’ filling the room.

“this is _amazing_.” alex started to move to the rhythm. “i can’t believe we missed this.”

“okay, guys,” julie said. “watch closely.” when the chorus hit, she went into the dance moves that her and flynn had spent so long learning, when they had constantly rewinded the concert videos of the song they had found on youtube.

she finished the moves and watched as alex tried a few out on his own. luke and reggie stood still, arms crossed over their chests. “i think you two can handle this without us,” luke said. “reggie and i can just sit back and watch.”

julie rolled her eyes (since the guys had appeared, she’d done that more times than she had in her entire life). “fine,” she said. “but you’re missing out. let’s take it from the top, alex.”

he had it down pat in no time.

*

the next day, after school, luke poofed into julie’s room. “hey,” he said. “is this where i serve my detention?”

julie laughed and put down her textbook. “what do you want, luke?”

“the guys and i were hoping you’d come teach us some more stuff,” he said. “if that’s cool with you, i mean.”

“sure,” julie answered. “just let me finish up with my calculus, okay?”

“yeah, of course.” luke headed towards the door but stopped short. “oh, and julie?”

“yeah?” 

“it might sound crazy, but… ” he did some of the choreography she had taught alex. “it ain’t no lie. bye, bye, bye!” he did the iconic arm movement to go along with the words before poofing out, not giving julie a chance to respond.

she _knew_ no one could resist the power of good dance moves -- not even too-cool-for-ghost-school luke patterson.

\--


End file.
